Read Online The Other Daniel - A Camille Grisham Novella by John Hardy Bell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: John Hardy Bell
Tags: Mystery & Detective, mystery and crime short stories, mystery and crime series, novella new release, suspense serial killers, suspense action empowerment women, novella mystery, bargain mysteries, mystery and suspense series
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paper inside.”
“It could be pictures my dad ordered for all
I know,” Camille said, not believing one word of it.
“Or it could be something else,” Chloe
warned.
Camille nodded and held her breath as the
tech took out a Swiss Army knife and cut gently along the edge of
the box.
“Definitely looks like a piece of paper,”
the tech confirmed as he peeled back the top. “Odd one,
though.”
“What do you mean by odd?” Chloe asked,
craning her neck to get a better look.
Her question was answered when the tech took
out a pair of tweezers and lifted the paper out of the box.
“My God, are those blood stains?” Meredith
asked, her voice muffled by the hand covering her mouth.
“Four of them,” the tech confirmed.
“Spatter?” Chloe asked as she inspected the
black page dotted with red.
“No. The pattern is precise, almost as if
they came out of a dropper.”
“And the names written underneath?”
The tech shrugged. “No idea.”
The group turned to Camille.
The four female names were written in white
marker, in the same crude penmanship that was evident on the
shipping label. Camille didn’t recognize the names, but she knew
who they were. The phone call that she now knew she had to make to
Special Agent Crawley would most likely confirm her suspicion.
There would be no more time to weigh the
pros and cons of joining his task force. The copycat had just made
the decision for her.
“Do you know what any of this means?” Chloe
asked.
“Look on the back,” Camille answered in a
solemn voice.
Chloe turned the paper over. Beneath the
traces of blood that had seeped in from the other side she saw
three names written the same as the four on the other side. But
unlike those names, the ones she looked at now were very
familiar.
Jacob Deaver
Paul Grisham
Camille Grisham
A question mark occupied the space under
Camille’s name.
“He’s leaving his options open for victim
number eight.”
Silence filled the room while everyone
attempted to process Camille’s words. But for Camille there was
nothing left to process. She knew what needed to happen next. In
her heart of hearts she always knew it would come down to this,
whether through Daniel MacPherson’s design or some other unforeseen
circumstance. But she never could have imagined this full circle
moment would come with such dire personal stakes.
Daniel Sykes would be most proud of his
fledgling protégé, whoever he was. Camille now knew it would be her
job to find him. “Would you excuse me for a moment? I have a phone
call to make,” she said before quietly slipping into her father’s
office.
True to his reputation as the most
emotionally-barren man on the planet, Special Agent Peter Crawley
didn’t waste a second of time with personal pleasantries.
“Let me guess, Camille. You received a note
too.”
EPILOGUE
MISSION STATEMENT – BY JACOB DEAVER
At least I’m not alone. I
take solace in that fact, though perhaps I shouldn’t. It is a
selfish thought, and considering the circumstances, a completely
heartless one. The truth is I wouldn’t wish my current circumstance
on anyone else in the world.
Paul Grisham is strong.
But he is losing his will, much like I am. We have been told that
our suffering has not been in vain, that it is serving a much
higher purpose. The purpose, we are told, is justice. Justice for
twenty-seven people who died needlessly. Justice for the families
who continue to grieve over their loss.
What about our suffering?
What about our families?
My original ambition was
to write a book about Daniel Sykes, the man who I am told is
ultimately responsible for the misery that I am enduring. But my
ambitions have since changed. My only purpose now is to stay alive,
and the only way to do that is to tell the Daniel Sykes story the
way it should have been told in the first place: through the eyes
of those who continue to suffer from his actions.
I have come to learn that
theirs is the only truth that
“It could be pictures my dad ordered for all
I know,” Camille said, not believing one word of it.
“Or it could be something else,” Chloe
warned.
Camille nodded and held her breath as the
tech took out a Swiss Army knife and cut gently along the edge of
the box.
“Definitely looks like a piece of paper,”
the tech confirmed as he peeled back the top. “Odd one,
though.”
“What do you mean by odd?” Chloe asked,
craning her neck to get a better look.
Her question was answered when the tech took
out a pair of tweezers and lifted the paper out of the box.
“My God, are those blood stains?” Meredith
asked, her voice muffled by the hand covering her mouth.
“Four of them,” the tech confirmed.
“Spatter?” Chloe asked as she inspected the
black page dotted with red.
“No. The pattern is precise, almost as if
they came out of a dropper.”
“And the names written underneath?”
The tech shrugged. “No idea.”
The group turned to Camille.
The four female names were written in white
marker, in the same crude penmanship that was evident on the
shipping label. Camille didn’t recognize the names, but she knew
who they were. The phone call that she now knew she had to make to
Special Agent Crawley would most likely confirm her suspicion.
There would be no more time to weigh the
pros and cons of joining his task force. The copycat had just made
the decision for her.
“Do you know what any of this means?” Chloe
asked.
“Look on the back,” Camille answered in a
solemn voice.
Chloe turned the paper over. Beneath the
traces of blood that had seeped in from the other side she saw
three names written the same as the four on the other side. But
unlike those names, the ones she looked at now were very
familiar.
Jacob Deaver
Paul Grisham
Camille Grisham
A question mark occupied the space under
Camille’s name.
“He’s leaving his options open for victim
number eight.”
Silence filled the room while everyone
attempted to process Camille’s words. But for Camille there was
nothing left to process. She knew what needed to happen next. In
her heart of hearts she always knew it would come down to this,
whether through Daniel MacPherson’s design or some other unforeseen
circumstance. But she never could have imagined this full circle
moment would come with such dire personal stakes.
Daniel Sykes would be most proud of his
fledgling protégé, whoever he was. Camille now knew it would be her
job to find him. “Would you excuse me for a moment? I have a phone
call to make,” she said before quietly slipping into her father’s
office.
True to his reputation as the most
emotionally-barren man on the planet, Special Agent Peter Crawley
didn’t waste a second of time with personal pleasantries.
“Let me guess, Camille. You received a note
too.”
EPILOGUE
MISSION STATEMENT – BY JACOB DEAVER
At least I’m not alone. I
take solace in that fact, though perhaps I shouldn’t. It is a
selfish thought, and considering the circumstances, a completely
heartless one. The truth is I wouldn’t wish my current circumstance
on anyone else in the world.
Paul Grisham is strong.
But he is losing his will, much like I am. We have been told that
our suffering has not been in vain, that it is serving a much
higher purpose. The purpose, we are told, is justice. Justice for
twenty-seven people who died needlessly. Justice for the families
who continue to grieve over their loss.
What about our suffering?
What about our families?
My original ambition was
to write a book about Daniel Sykes, the man who I am told is
ultimately responsible for the misery that I am enduring. But my
ambitions have since changed. My only purpose now is to stay alive,
and the only way to do that is to tell the Daniel Sykes story the
way it should have been told in the first place: through the eyes
of those who continue to suffer from his actions.
I have come to learn that
theirs is the only truth that
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